Light Yagami
| creator = Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata | voiced by = Mamoru Miyano (Japanese) Brad Swaile (English) | oaux1 name = Portrayed by | oaux1 = Tatsuya Fujiwara (Japanese films) Kenji Urai (musical) Hayato Kakizawa (musical) Masataka Kubota (TV series) Nat Wolff (American film) | nickname = | alias = Kira Death Note Volume 4. Viz Media. 15. L (from chapter 60 onward) | relatives = Soichiro Yagami (father) Sachiko Yagami (mother) Sayu Yagami (sister) Misa Amane (fiancée) }} |Yagami Raito|lead=yes}} is a fictional character and the protagonist of the manga series Death Note, created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. He is a bored young genius who finds a supernatural notebook called a Death Note which was dropped by the Shinigami Ryuk. Using the notebook, which allows its owner to kill anyone simply by knowing their name and face, Light becomes a serial-murderer known as in an attempt to create and rule a utopia cleansed of criminals, with him at the helm as its "God". In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Mamoru Miyano in Japanese and by Brad Swaile in the English version. In the live-action film series, he is portrayed by Tatsuya Fujiwara with Swaile reprising his role as his English dub voice; he is portrayed by both Kenji Urai and Hayato Kakizawa in the musical; in the TV drama, he is portrayed by Masataka Kubota; and his counterpart in the American film is portrayed by Nat Wolff. Creation and conception Tsugumi Ohba, the story writer of Death Note, said that his editor suggested the family name "Yagami" for Light. Ohba said that he did not feel "too concerned" about the meaning of the name (the Kanji for "Yagami" are "night" and "god"); he said that after he created the final scene in the manga he "liked" that the final scene created "deeper significance" in the name, of Kira worshippers worshipping him at night under the light of the moon – his given name Raito/Light is written with the character for "moon"."How to Think." Death Note 13: How to Read. VIZ Media. 61. Takeshi Obata, the artist of Death Note, said that he had "no trouble" designing Light as the character description presented to him, "A brilliant honors student who's a little out there," was "clear and detailed". As the weekly serialization continued, Obata simplified the design by subconsciously removing "unnecessary" lines and felt that he became "better" at drawing Light. When Chapter 35 appeared and the editor informed Obata that Light loses his memories, Obata had to draw Light in a similar manner as he appeared in Chapter 1; Obata said "It was like I had to forget everything I had learned." Obata said that he used "a lot of effort" to design Light's wardrobe. According to Obata, he encountered difficulty imagining the clothing of "a brilliant person," so he looked through fashion magazines. Obata envisioned Light as a "smart and formal guy" who wears formal shirts. Most of Light's clothing in Death Note is "fitted" and Obata avoided jeans."Takeshi Obata Production Note: Characters." Death Note 13: How to Read. VIZ Media. 126. When designing color book covers Obata assigned colors to characters to "get the atmosphere right". Obata assigned clear or "lack of a color" to Light.Death Note 13: How to Read. VIZ Media. 117. Films Shusuke Kaneko, director of the film, intended for Light to appear sympathetic at the beginning of the film; when Light first gains the Death Note, Kaneko "was careful" to have Light react in a manner "as you and I would". Kaneko changed the story involving Light gaining his first notebook as he felt that the audience "would have a hard time sympathizing" with Light if the scene remained the same as it was in the manga. Kaneko added that as he portrayed Light as "being enthralled" as he "becomes more cruel" to make the audience members feel that they could "do the terrible things he does" even if the members do not sympathize with Light.Shonen Jump. Volume 6, Issue 6. June 2008. VIZ Media. 6. Tatsuya Fujiwara said that he felt difficulty portraying Light in the film series because of the lack of "action" and because Light has no signature mannerisms and therefore has his feelings displayed by his face; Fujiwara added that he struggled conveying Light's "incredible amount of intelligence" and that the performance would appear "very empty or simplistic" if Light received an improper portrayal. Fujiwara explained that he wanted Light to cry in a particular scene even though Kaneko told Fujiwara "Light doesn’t cry" since Fujiwara believed that the scene would feel "more honest"; Kaneko used the take."The stars." The Star. Sunday October 29, 2006. Retrieved on September 23, 2009. Kaneko designed Light's room to reflect the character's personality by making it clean and neat and filling it with legal, criminal history, foreign, and academic books. The original version of Light's room included a stereo; Kaneko replaced it with a vacuum cleaner to reflect Light's "clean-freak self"."The making ." The Star. Sunday October 29, 2006. Retrieved on September 23, 2009. Kenichi Matsuyama, the actor who portrayed L, said that he and Fujiwara became "so immersed" in their character portrayals that they did not talk to one another while on the set; when filming ceased they conversed and "went out for a drink or two". Matsuyama also said that Light and L are "extremely" alike in that they have "a very strong sense of justice"."The dummy". The Star. Appearances In Death Note Light Yagami was born on February 28, 1986.Death Note 13: How to Read. VIZ Media. 8. He is an acknowledged genius, placing first in national exam tables and university entrance exams.Death Note Volume 2. 47. He is also athletic and attractive, but seems haunted, with a face that can easily become twisted. At the beginning of the story Light is a student in his last year of high school; he later attends . His father, Soichiro, is the leader of the National Police Agency task force hunting for "Kira", the name the public has given the perpetrator of the murders. His mother, Sachiko, is a housewife. His younger sister, Sayu, acts as a cheerful, less academic foil. When Light discovers the Death Note, which was dropped into the Human World by the Shinigami Ryuk, who becomes Light's companion, he begins a crusade against evil, planning to kill criminals and other ne'er-do-wells until only those he approves of are left. While his task originates with good intentions,Brusuelas, James. "Anime Reviews: Death Note a Must-Have, Naruto and Bleach a Bit Faded ." Animation World Magazine. Thursday March 28, 2008. Retrieved on September 23, 2009. he is corrupted by power within a week, plotting to rule his utopia as "the god of the new world". His ethics are utilitarian, justifying the most extreme acts in service of his cause. He is also driven by a need for victory, which motivates most of his cruelest acts. Combined with the power of the Death Note, his hubris and genius-level intellect convince him that only he can save the world. Eventually a small task force of Japanese police officers, including Light's father, under the direction of the eccentric genius detective L begin to close in on Light. Although he suspects Light is Kira, L allows him to collaborate with the police on the case. This begins a cat and mouse game between the two, with Light trying to learn L's real name so he can kill him, and L trying to get Light to make a mistake giving him the proof he needs to arrest him. Eventually, via an elaborate plan that sees Light relinquish ownership of his Death Note, thus temporarily losing all memory of it, and the forced help of his second Death Note possessing fiancée Misa Amane's Shinigami Rem, L dies. Light then assumes the "L" persona and continues his charade of searching for Kira with the task force while carrying out the killings himself with help from Misa. Over four years later, Light is able to garner most of the world's support, reaching the point where his followers have begun to worship Kira as a literal deity. But two young men, Mello and Near, both raised as potential successors to L begin to separately investigate the case that took the life of their predecessor. Near heads the SPK (Special Provision for Kira), an American investigation team composed of CIA and FBI agents, while Mello teams up with the Mafia. Although Mello dies working separate from Near, his actions lead Teru Mikami, a man selected by Light to kill criminals using another Death Note, to make a mistake that results in Light's capture by Near, the SPK and Japanese police. Seeing that Light has finally lost, he is killed when Ryuk writes his name in his own Death Note, just as the Shinigami had warned when they first met. In film as Light in the ''Death Note'' film series.]] In the film series, Light is portrayed by Tatsuya Fujiwara, known for his role as Shuya Nanahara in Battle Royale. In the film, a few changes were made to the character. At the film's beginning, Light is a first-year law student at a university, instead of still being in high school as in the beginning of the manga and anime. Light's motives differ; in this version, he uses the Death Note out of frustration from the perceived failures of the Japanese justice system. Light, prior to his discovery of the Death Note, hacks into the government database and finds that the government secretly acknowledges that it is unable to prosecute many criminals. Light discovers the Death Note in an alley during a rainy night after encountering Takuo Shibuimaru in a club. Light meets Ryuk after killing Shibuimaru. At the end of the first movie Light kills his girlfriend, Shiori Akino, and frames her death as a murder in order to join the Kira investigation team as a result of their sympathy. Light relinquishes ownership of the Death Note to Kiyomi Takada. After Takada is caught, Light kills her to recover the Death Note, but it is taken by the investigation team. L states that he will test the 13-Day Rule, a fake Death Note rule designed to prove Light and Misa's innocence. Rem, knowing that L's actions will reveal Misa's identity as the 2nd Kira, writes both L's and Watari's names in the Death Note. Light then proceeds to write his father's name in the book, manipulating his father to return the confiscated Death Note. Light confronts his father, but Soichiro does not die. The investigation team members, including L, reveal themselves. Having already written his own name in the Death Note, thus negating Rem's actions, L tells Light that he had just written in a fake note. Light tries to write on a hidden piece of Death Note, but is shot by Matsuda, an investigation team member. Light tells Ryuk to write the team's names, promising to show him many interesting things, and begins to laugh. He stops, however, when Ryuk shows him that he had written just one name: Light's. Light tries to stop Ryuk, but merely passes right through him. As Light begins to succumb to the effects of the Death Note, Ryuk takes this opportunity to reveal to him that humans that have used the Death Note are barred from entering either Heaven or Hell, instead spending eternity in nothingness. Light dies in his father's arms, begging him to believe that he acted as Kira to put the justice, which Soichiro had taught him since his childhood, into practice. The film concludes one year later, on Light's birthday. Sayu fetches Soichiro and says that Kira helped reduce crime rates, however, she says that she does not support Kira as Light was killed by Kira (which is what Soichiro told her). In Death Note: Light Up the New World, a video will left by Light is discovered. Yuki Shien, a cyberterrorist and Kira worshipper, who aspires to become the Neo-Kira (New Kira) releases the entire video online and it is shown on every television and smartphone around the world. Shien later uses a voice-filter to change his voice to that of Light's, so as to get Misa to open a box containing a Death Note, to return her memories to her. Misa later looks at a photo of Light through her Shinigami eyes, to dispel any rumors of Light being alive. The trick with Light's voice is later applied against the Department of Death Note Prevention, lead by Tsukuru Mishima, to get them into a trap, which kills Matsuda. Later, the department learns that Light has furthered his DNA by procreating, and fathering a child, who was to be raised as the successor to Kira. However, the child and his guardian, Teru Mikami, both went insane from the Death Note given to them by Ryuk and Mikami wrote the child's name in the Death Note. The Death Note is picked up by Mishima, who is forced to kill Mikami. Mishima becomes attracted towards the Death Note, and secretly becomes Kira, under the nose of his fellow policemen. Mishima finds a video message from Light, meant for his son, alongside the Death Note, which he edits to make Kira's will, which is then sent to Shien. The video will demands that the 6 Death Notes which have fallen to Earth, be handed over to Kira. After the end credits, a previously unseen portion of Light's video is shown, in which he says, "Just as I planned", and smiles ironically. Nat Wolff portrays the character's counterpart, "Light Turner", in the American film version. As in the manga version, Light is an intelligent high school student who finds the death note due to Ryuk. Unlike the manga version, Light has no sister and has recently lost his mother, who had been killed by a man who managed to elude capture. After killing a bully who had previously attacked him, Light takes revenge on the man who killed his mother. Light then reveals the death note to his classmate and love interest Mia Sutton, who became interested in his plans to make the world a better place by killing all the evil people in the world. This version of Light is different to his manga counterpart in the fact that he never loses sight of his goal to make the world better for the innocent. Unlike Light Yagami, Light Turner never kills any police officers and never truly lets the power of the Death Note overtake him. Instead, his ruthless qualities are transferred to Mia, who uses the notebook in secret to kill police and innocents that are trying to find Light and, by association, herself. In the end, she writes Light's name in the notebook to make him transfer ownership of the notebook to her, showing her true nature and calling the death note her notebook. However, Light creates a plan that will result in his survival and her death if she attempts to take the notebook, which she does despite how much he tries to convince her to let it go and be with him instead, having truly fallen in love with Mia by writing her name in it as well. In the end, through using two criminals that he controlled using the Death Note, Light manages to trick the police into believing that he wasn't Kira with the exception of his father, who worked out the truth after finding newspaper articles about his mother's murder. The film ends with his father asking Light, in response to what he said, if he was truly the lesser of two evils when compared to Mia while L finds a page of the death note, and wonders whether to write Light's name. In other media In the 2015 drama, Masataka Kubota plays the role of Light Yagami. A number of significant changes are made to this version of the character, though his quiet, calm demeanor and physical appearance remains the same. He is a fan of Misa Amane, loves to go to Misa's concerts with his friends, is a college student, has lost his mother in a killing some years ago, plans to become a civil-worker after graduating, is less competent and intelligent than his other counterparts, is more sympathetic and hesitant to become a serial-killer, and is uninterested in becoming a police officer like his father, but becomes more intelligent, cerebral, manipulative and ruthless like his manga counterpart, as the series progresses. His battle of wits with L ends, when L forces Light to confess that he is Kira with a fake death note in a warehouse, but Light manages to outwit him, and L is later killed by Light's associate: Teru Mikami, before he reveals Light's alter-ego to the task-force. After L dies, he is met by L's successor and close friend: Near, who also suspects that Light is Kira. Light also faces Near's alter ego: the more aggressive and ambitious Mello. Light then attempts to kill Mello with the Death Note, but Mello manages to survive. Then in order to defeat Near, Light fools and takes the Japanese police's help, but inadvertently confesses that he is Kira thanks to a trick set by Near and is detained in a warehouse. While Light is inside the warehouse, Mikami sets fire to the warehouse, unintentionally trapping Light in a circle of fire. Light, meanwhile, burns to death trying to reclaim the death note. In the musical adaptation, Light is portrayed by Kenji Urai and Hayato in the Japanese productions and Hong Kwang-ho and Han Ji-sang in the Korean productions. Reception Analysis Ohba described Light as a victim of the Death Note, with Light's life being "ruined" once he obtained it. According to Ohba, Light was "a young man who could understand the pain of others" when he first encountered the Death Note. Ohba said that if Ryuk never developed an interest in the human world, Light would have become "one of the greatest police leaders in the world" who, with L, worked against criminals.Death Note 13: How to Read. VIZ Media. 114. He added that he believed that debating whether Light's actions were good or evil is not "very important". Ohba said that he personally sees Light as a "diabolical" character."How to Think." Death Note 13: How to Read. VIZ Media. 69. Obata said that Light was his second favorite human character and that he was not sure whether that was because he "liked" Light or because he drew "such a diabolical character" in a magazine for children.Death Note 13: How to Read. 190. According to Ohba, Light sees Misa Amane, who he uses as an accomplice, as a "bad person" who killed people, so he acts emotionally cold towards her and manipulates her, although he pretends to love her, and even says he will marry her. He is only stopped from killing her by the shinigami Rem, who threatens to kill him if she dies early or if he tries to kill her, despite her knowledge that doing so will cause her own death. Light's personality dramatically changes after he has a Death Note compared to when he does not. This can be seen when Light puts himself in L's captivity because he 'might be Kira'. Light tells Ryuk to relinquish his ownership of the Death Note after saying 'get rid of it'. Afterwards, Light loses all memory of the Death Note and he reverts to his normal personality. Without the Death Note, he has cares for the people around him and is reluctant to manipulate them. He even refuses to 'use' Misa Amane to get information out of her when L asks him to; however, later in the story, when Light regains his memories, he seems to have no problem 'using' Kiyomi Takada and manipulating her feelings in order to get what he wants. Despite serving Light faithfully, he repays her devotion with a painful death the moment she is no longer of use to him, expressing no emotion other than elation at the fact that her death has moved him closer to his goal. Although Light originally had good intentions, he was "very conceited", with a "warped ... desire to be godlike", bearing love for his family, and intending to transform the world into "a better place"."How to Think." Death Note 13: How to Read. VIZ Media. 65. Ohba also states that Light, "uncompromising" when achieving his ideals, "sullied" himself by using the Death Note and that his actions "may have been the result of the purity within him" prior to obtaining the Death Note.Death Note 13: How to Read. VIZ Media. 9. Nevertheless, Ohba states that Light never lost his love for his family since he viewed them as righteous people. Douglas Wolk of Salon describes Light as "coldly manipulative", "egomaniacal", and "an unrepentant serial killer, a butcher on an enormous scale" who is not "a Freddy Krueger, a monster who represents pure evil, or a Patrick Bateman, a demonic symbol of his age". Wolk describes Light as "the good guy, more or less" who genuinely believes that he holds "the moral high ground".Wolk, Douglas. "Death strip ." Salon. July 26, 2007. Retrieved on September 23, 2009. When asked about which character was most similar to himself, Ohba indicated Near and "maybe Light." Regarding Light, Ohba cited "because I did well in school."Death Note 13: How to Read. VIZ Media. 194. Travis Fickett of IGN describes Light as a "sociopath".Fickett, Travis. "Death Note: "Rebirth" Review." IGN. May 15, 2007. Retrieved on September 23, 2009. Tom S. Pepirium of IGN describes Light as "brilliant, but disturbed".Pepirium, Tom S. "Death Note: "Confrontation" Review." IGN. October 29, 2007. Retrieved on September 23, 2009. Wolk describes Light's ideal world, a "totalitarian" place "ruled by a propagandistic TV channel and an arbitrary secret executioner". Wolk said that Ohba sometimes suggests that this world is "in some ways a better, happier world than ours". Jolyon Baraka Thomas describes Light's vision of justice as "impure": "His supercilious attempt to save society from itself is both self-aggrandizing and cruel". Toshiki Inoue, the series organizer for the Death Note anime, describes Light as a "child whose wish happens to come true"."Passion and dreams." Newtype USA. November 2007. Volume 6. Number 11. 50-51. Critical reception Tom S. Pepirium of IGN said that he felt surprised when he learned that some viewers, while watching the series, wanted Light to emerge as the victor of the storyline; Pepirium added that his wife said that she was "kinda rooting for Light". Pepirium compared wanting Light to win to "cheering for Kevin Spacey at the end of Seven".Pepirium, Tom S. "Death Note: "Overcast" Review". IGN. December 4, 2007. Retrieved on September 23, 2009. Pepirium added that Brad Swaile, Light's English-language voice actor, "nails" the "difficult" task of making Light "both likable and hated".Pepirium, Tom S. "Death Note: "Ally" Review". IGN. February 27, 2008. Retrieved on September 23, 2009. Jason Charpentier of The Anchor stated that Light's attributes and his role as a main character form "part of what makes Death Note interesting".Otaku Weekly Review 4/15/08 ". The Anchor. Tuesday, April 15, 2008 (Updated Wednesday, October 8, 2008). Retrieved on April 2, 2009. Light was also listed 18th in IGN's 2009 best anime character of all-time list with writer Chris Mackenzie praising how Light is "mesmerizing". In 2014, he was placed seventh on IGN's list of greatest anime characters of all-time, with the cite stating that "Light Yagami was the force that drove Death Note and made it a phenomenon". He is frequently cited as being an anti-hero and sometimes a villain protagonist. Tetsuro Araki, the director of the anime, said that he felt an urge to support and cheer for Light. Araki added that Light would have used and killed him if he was one of Light's friends, but the director still believed that Light is "that interesting" and therefore he would have felt an attraction towards Light. Pauline Wong of OtakuZone had her opinions of the film portrayal of Light Yagami published in The Star, a Malaysian newspaper. In it, Wong says that the "very bishie-status-worthy" Fujiwara portrayed Light with "aplomb and near-perfection, right down to the evil little smile". Kitty Sensei, quoted in the same Malaysian article, says that the portrayal of Light in the film is "very faithful to the manga's"."Death rocks". The Star. Sunday November 12, 2006. Retrieved on April 2, 2009. Tatsuya Fujiwara, the actor who portrayed Light in the films, said that he "could understand" Light's intentions to create a new world even though "murder is a horrible thing". Matsuyama describes L and Light as having "such unique characters that they're impossible to understand". Erika Toda, the actress who portrayed Misa Amane in the films, described Light's and Misa's actions as "criminal".Kitty Sensei. "Here’re a few hints of the second and concluding part of Death Note the movie, The Last Name. ". The Star. Sunday January 14, 2007. Retrieved on April 1, 2009. See also * [[List of Death Note characters|List of Death Note characters]] References Category:Death Note characters Category:Male anime and manga characters Category:Memory erasure and alteration in fiction Category:Fictional child prodigies Category:Fictional hackers Category:Fictional Japanese people Category:Fictional mass murderers Category:Fictional police detectives Category:Fictional serial killers Category:Fictional vigilantes Category:Fictional narcissists Category:Fictional psychopaths Category:Fictional deceased Category:Fictional characters from Kantō Category:Fictional characters with God complexes Category:Fictional characters introduced in 2003